Misunderstandings
by RatchetTheWrenchThrower
Summary: Sometimes the best things come from a bunch of misunderstandings. Duo and Heero are about to learn that the hard way.
1. Chapter 1

Duo closed his eyes against the tears, leaning back against the cold brick wall. He felt like he couldn't breathe, his throat clogged by the shards of his broken heart. He'd been shattered, unknowingly, by his best friend. Heero would never know that he'd just killed Duo inside. He'd never know the debilitating pain that he'd just consigned Duo to for the rest of his life.

He choked down a burning breath and started walking toward HQ as the rain began to pour. Une had offered him a very dangerous mission; the chances of him coming out alive were less than ten percent. She'd given him a week to think it over, the deadline being the next day. He'd been thinking of how to ask Heero his feelings, but after tonight, he knew he'd be taking the mission.

So what if he didn't come back; Heero had Relena now, he didn't need Duo anymore.

"I'll take the mission, Une." Her eyes were wide with surprised as she stared at him. He resembled a drowned rat at this point; his suit jacket had been dropped in a dumpster on the way leaving him in a soaked white dress shirt, black pants, and his hair dripping down his back from where it had come out of its braid. He hoped she didn't notice his red-rimmed eyes; he'd never admit to having stopped to cry.

"Are you sure Maxwell; the chances of success are less than ten percent and the possibility of you surviving in less than fifteen. I need to know that you're up to this or it will cause more harm than good." Her eyes were filled with concern.

"He won't be taking it, Lady Une." The words were cold and hard, daring either to protest. They both turned to see the soaked form of Heero Yuy standing in the doorway, eyes glinting dangerously.

"I will be taking the mission, Lady Une." Duo's voice was devoid of any emotion, his face blank. That didn't stop Heero from seeing the dead look in his eyes.

"No he won't. He's going to be coming with me and explaining what made him decide to take a suicide mission. Then he's going to explain it to Trowa, Wufei, and Quatre." Heero's face had adopted his glare, the glare that scared just about anyone into submission, Une being one of the many to succumb to its might. He strode forward and grabbed Duo by the arm, pulling him from the room. Duo didn't fight; he was numb at this point inside and out.

Heero all but dragged him down the hall and into their shared office; the room was soundproofed and had no means of being watched. He shut and locked the door after pushing Duo in.

"Explain," he bit out. His anger was palpable. Duo met his eyes and what he saw worried him. What was normally mischief filled amethyst was now dull and almost lifeless. Heero felt some of his anger fade as he took a moment to look Duo over. His best friend looked horrible; his hair was dripping down his back, his entire body completely soaked, and his eyes were red from crying. Heero was stunned at that revelation; he'd never known Duo to cry.

"I was offered a mission by Une almost a week ago. It was a mission suited to my skillset more so than anyone else in the Preventers. The chances of me coming out alive are less than ten percent, and the success rate is even lower. I've looked over the file; her calculations are wrong. She wouldn't have offered it to me if she had done the math herself." Duo began to pace at this point, eyes trained anywhere but Heero.

"At first, I wasn't even considering the idea of accepting. I don't do missions with odds under thirty percent. Une knows this, which is why she was so reluctant to bring it to my attention. After tonight though, I decided to take the mission." Duo's shoulders slumped down, arms rising to cross over his chest protectively.

"What could make you consider taking a suicide mission," Heero asked.

"I found out that I have no chance at all with the person I love more than life. I've loved them since before the war started in earnest. I love them more than anything in this world. I'm broken now, Heero. I have nothing left to live for now. Quatre has Trowa and Wufei, you have Relena. No one needs me anymore." Tears had begun streaming down his face.

"What do you mean 'I have _Relena'_? I loathe that woman. She is the last person I would ever turn to for anything, let alone the status of my lo-best friend." He had nearly slipped up. He'd nearly said the thing he'd wanted to say for over a year. Duo's eyes glinted as he caught the slip, hope surging in his chest.

"I saw you two kissing Heero," Duo's eyes dulled again as the memory played in his mind once more.

"She forced herself on me once again. I set her straight this time because I pulled my gun and threatened to arrest her for sexual harassment if she does it again."

"I don't understand." Duo didn't. He wanted to know if Heero returned his feelings. He didn't want to hurt anymore.

"Sore o fakku (Fuck it)" Heero said as he strode forward and pulled Duo into a breathtaking kiss. Duo's arms moved to wrap around Heero's neck, while Heero's wrapped around his waist. It wasn't gentle; it was lips and teeth and passion. It was the desire they felt for each other, the frustration at so many incorrect assumptions, and their impatience to have each other. They kissed until lack of oxygen drove them to separate.

"Aishiteru," Heero murmured as he rested his forehead against Duo's.

"I love you too, Hee-chan."


	2. Chapter 2

_I can really see Heero thinking like this. In my mind, his thoughts probably revolve around Duo like a boy's do around his first crush. Heero has been emotionally stunted since childhood, and now he has the heady feeling of being in love to add to his general emotional-ineptitude. So yeah, hope you like it. (I also see Heero as a closet pervert)…_

Heero restrained himself from beating the stupid woman to a pulp, then pumping her full of bullets. Then he'd burn her body. And dance on the ashes. He would invite Duo to dance with him, of course. And then they could fuc- he stopped that trail of thought before he got too excited (not that the other former-pilot would ever know he thought of him like _that)._

Relena continued to prattle on, unaware of Heero's homicidal thoughts. Then she did the unthinkable. She grabbed the back of his head and pulled him into a sloppy, disgusting kiss. Heero had to restrain himself from shoving her through a wall as he pushed her away and pulled his gun.

"If you try that again, Peacecraft, I'll have a sexual harassment form filed as well as a restraining order," he snarled. The restraining order _was_ a good idea though, so he'd put more thought into that later. Right now he wanted to go bleach his face. And go to Duo for comfort. Comfort….he shook his thoughts from the gutter yet again.

After leaving the annoying woman to compose herself he began to look for Duo. The ballroom was crowded and he didn't like it. He longed for the solitude of his office with just him, Duo, and the other ex-pilots as they worked. He wasn't good at being social. He killed people, he didn't interact with them.

After about an hour of not finding Duo, he decided to cut his losses and go to HQ. He still had paperwork from his last mission to complete, and he knew for a fact Une would be there tonight. He made it in about ten minutes and headed upstairs. He entered his and Duo's shared office and began to work, finishing up in about half an hour. He packed up the paperwork neatly and grabbed Duo's from his desk.

He had just opened the door to Une's office when he heard her speaking. Something told him to listen so he paused to hear what she was talking about and to whom.

"Are you sure Maxwell; the chances of success are less than ten percent and the possibility of you surviving in less than fifteen. I need to know that you're up to this or it will cause more harm than good." Heero felt white hot anger burning in his blood; at Une for even thinking to offer Duo a mission with those odds and at Duo for trying to accept it. Trying being the key word since Heero would **not** let his friend(maybe more if he didn't kill the idiot for this stunt) even _consider_ trying to take a suicide mission.

"He won't be taking it, Lady Une," he said coldly as he stepped into the room, paperwork long forgotten. He glared at her menacingly, warning her with his eyes that he wouldn't hesitate to kill her should she try to go against him. He felt some satisfaction when she flinched.

"I will be taking the mission, Lady Une." Duo's voice was devoid of any emotion, which very nearly shook Heero to the core. Where was the defiant man he'd fallen in love with? Where was that unbreakable spirit that had characterized him for so long, that had kept them all going during the war? A feeling of dread welled in his stomach at the sight of Duo's dead eyes.

"No he won't. He's going to be coming with me and explaining what made him decide to take a suicide mission. Then he's going to explain it to Trowa, Wufei, and Quatre." Heero glared at Une again, anger back to the forefront of his mind as he tried to keep from shooting her.

Duo didn't protest as he grabbed him by the arm and dragged him to their office. He pushed him inside, not harshly, and turned to lock the door. The office was one of the most secure places he could take them to, and he had a feeling they'd need the safety for the coming conversation.

"Explain," he bit out, surprised he'd managed to speak at all with the amount of rage he felt at the thought of losing Duo because of the other's own stupidity. Duo met his eyes and what he saw worried him. What was normally mischief filled amethyst was now dull and almost lifeless. Heero felt some of his anger fade as he took a moment to look Duo over. His best friend looked horrible; his hair was dripping down his back, his entire body completely soaked, and his eyes were red from crying. Heero was stunned at that revelation; he'd **never** known Duo to cry.

"I was offered a mission by Une almost a week ago. It was a mission suited to my skillset more so than anyone else in the Preventers. The chances of me coming out alive are less than ten percent, and the success rate is even lower. I've looked over the file; her calculations are wrong. She wouldn't have offered it to me if she had done the math herself." Heero's eyes followed him as he began to pace. Duo wouldn't meet his gaze, looking anywhere but at Heero himself.

"At first, I wasn't even considering the idea of accepting. I don't do missions with odds under thirty percent. Une knows this, which is why she was so reluctant to bring it to my attention. After tonight though, I decided to take the mission." Duo's shoulders slumped down, arms rising to cross over his chest protectively. Heero felt a stab to his heart at that. Duo didn't need to ever protect himself with Heero around, and he wished that he could tell him so, not for the first time.

"What could make you consider taking a suicide mission," He asked as the feeling of dread came back in his stomach.

"I found out that I have no chance at all with the person I love more than life. I've loved them since before the war started in earnest. I love them more than anything in this world. I'm broken now, Heero. I have nothing left to live for now. Quatre has Trowa and Wufei, you have Relena. No one needs me anymore." Tears had begun streaming down his face and Heero could feel his own heart shatter inside his chest. Duo loved someone else? Had he never had a chance at all? Then the rest of the sentence caught up with him, and his frazzled mind settled on the name he loathed.

"What do you mean 'I have Relena'?" he spluttered. "I loathe that woman. She is the last person I would ever turn to for anything, let alone the status of my lo-best friend." He had nearly slipped up. He'd nearly said the thing he'd wanted to say for over a year now. He hoped Duo hadn't caught it, but the gleam entering his eyes told him otherwise.

"I saw you two kissing Heero," Duo's eyes had darkened again, and Heero finally put it together. He forced himself not to make assumptions, but his imagination was in its own world at this point.

"She forced herself on me once again. I set her straight this time because I pulled my gun and threatened to arrest her for sexual harassment if she does it again." He may have been a bit proud about nearly making her piss herself, but he'd been trying to make her understand that he hated her for over two years, dammit!

"I don't understand." Duo didn't know it, but his words caused the snap of Heero's nearly infinite patience. The sound seemed to echo around inside his head.

"Sore o fakku (Fuck it)" Heero said as he strode forward and pulled Duo into a breathtaking kiss. Heero knew it wasn't gentle; it was lips and teeth and passion that had been building for far too long. It was the desire they felt for each other, the frustration at so many incorrect assumptions, and their impatience to finally be together. They kissed until lack of oxygen drove them to separate and even then Heero was reluctant to remove his lips.

"Aishiteru," Heero murmured as he rested his forehead against Duo's. He felt pure elation race through him at Duo's reply, wiping away any of the usual irritation at Duo's nickname for him.

"I love you too, Hee-chan."


End file.
